Safety firing attachment for breech-loading rifles.



F. HARTNEY.

SAFETY FIRING ATTACHMENT FOR BREEGH LOADING RIFLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1911.

1,030,087, Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

fllllnln n N I Y l [II b I 1mm ana W T WITNESSES mvmrons ATTORNEYS P.HARTNEY.

SAFETY FIRING ATTACHMENT FOR BREEGH LOADING RIFLES.

ABPLIUATION FILED JULY 25, 1911.

1,030,087, Patented June 18, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I PLANMRAPH (IO-,WASHINGTON D c UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE FREDERICKHARTNEY, 0F HIGGINSVTLLE, MISSOURI.

SAFETY FIRING ATTACHMENT FOR BREECI-I-LOADING RIFLES.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, F REDERIGK I-IARTNEY, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Higginsville, in thecounty of Lafayette and State of Missouri, have invented a new andImproved Safety Firing Attachment for Breech-Loading Rifles, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to breech-loading rifles for sea coast defense andmounted on disappearing carriages.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved safetyfiring attachment for breech-loading rifles, arranged to prevent firingof the loaded gun until the latter is raised to firing position, thuspreventing premature discharge of the gun into the protecting parapet.

In order to accomplish the desired result, use is made of a safetydevice arranged to lock the firing leaf in' position, not only when thebreech block is in any other position than closed and locked, but alsoin any position of the rifle except when the latter is elevated abovethe parapet and truly ready to be fired.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichsimilar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

Figure 1 is a rear end view of a disappearing breech-loading rifleprovided with the improvement, the rifle being in loading position withthe breech block closed; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3is an enlarged rear end view of the connection between the safety barand the actuating bar for the safety bar; and Fig. 4 is an in vertedsectional plan view of the same on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

The barrel A of the gun is mounted by trunnions B on the swinging sidearms C of a disappearing carriage of the usual construction, to permitof moving 'the gun into depressed position for loading, or elevatedposition for firing. The breech block D is of the usual construction andis manipulated by suitable mechanism under the control of an operatormanipulating the crank arm E, so that the breech block D is secured inor out of position in the breech plate A and moves onto the tray F forsupporting the breech block D in an open position.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 25, 1911.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Serial No. 640,415.

It is understood that the mechanism for operating the breech block D maybe of any approved construction, and as such a mechanism forms no partof my invention it is not deemed necessary to further describe the same.breech block D may also be of any approved construction, and hence it isnot deemed necessary to describe the same in detail, it beingsuflicientto state that the firing mechanism is provided with the usualfiring leaf G adapted to be locked against being actuated by a safetydevice, consisting of a 'safety slide mounted to slide in a suitablebearing H arranged on the outer face of the breech block D. The slide His pro vided with a pin H extending in a segmental slot A formed in thebreech plate A, the said pin H engaging the slot A at the time thebreech block D is in closed position in the breech. The outer end of theslide H terminates in a hook H adapted to engage a pin I on a slide Imounted to slide in a guideway A formed in the face of the breech plateA, and the said slide I is preferably flush with the face of the breechplate A and is held in place by a covering plate I attached to thebreech plate A. The outer end of the slide I is provided with a pin Iengaging an elongated slot J in the arm J of a lever having a shaft Jjournaled in suitable bearings K and K arranged on one side of thebarrel A, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2. The lever arm J on the forwardend of the shaft J is provided with a pin or a lug J adapted to beengaged by a cam L attached to the corresponding arm C of thedisappearing carriage, it being understood that thesaid cam L is out ofengagement with the lug J*, at the time the gun is in a depressedposition, and when the gun is elevated and moves into firing positionthen the cam L engages the lug J and thus imparts a swinging motion tothe lever consisting of the arms J shaft J and arm J, whereby an outwardsliding movement is given to the slide 1, which by the pin 1 engagingthe hook H causes an outward. sliding movement of the slide H, wherebythe firing leaf Gr is unlocked or released, thus permitting of firingthe gun in the usual manner.

It is understood that by the arrangement described, the gun cannot befired when in depressed or loading position, and only whenthe gun movesinto the final elevated The firing mechanism for the position for firingthen the firing leaf G is released to permit of firing the gun.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a premature discharge of the guninto the protecting parapet is not liable to take place.

The shaft J is pressed on by a spring N so as to return the lever andwith it the slides I and H to previous position when depressing the guninto loading position.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a safety firing attachment for a breech loading disappearing gun,a carriage on which the gun is mounted, a movable member mounted on thebreech block of the gun for holding the firing mechanism thereof againstoperation, a lever mounted on the gun, means operated by the lever andconnected with the movable member when the breech block is in closedposit-ion, and means for operating the lever from the carriage at thetime the gun is elevated in firing position.

2. In a safety firing attachment for a breech-loading disappearing gun,a carriage upon which the gun is mounted, a movable member on the breechblock of the gun for holding the firing mechanism thereof againstoperation, a second movable memberon the breech of the gun and engagingthe first member when the breech block is closed, a lever mounted on thegun and connected with the said second member, and means on the carriagefor operating the lever at the time the gun is elevated in firingposition.

A safety firing attachment for a breech-loading rifle mounted on adisappearing carriage and provided with a firing leaf on the breechblock, a safety bar on the breech block for holding the firing leafagainst operation. a slide mounted on the breech plate of the rifle andadapted to en gage the said safety bar at the time the breech block isin closed position, an operating lever fulcrumed on the gun, and a camon the carriage for engagement with the said lever at the time the gunis elevated to firing position.

4. In a safety firing attachment for a breech-loading disappearing gun,a carriage upon which the gun is mounted, a movable member on the breechblock of the gun for locking the firing mechanism thereof in inoperativeposition at the time the gun is lowered in leading position, a secondmovable member on the breech of the gun, the said members havinginterlocking engagement when the breech block is in closed position andbeing out of engageinentwhen the breech block is in open position, andmeans for operating the said second member from the carriage when thegun is elevated in firing position.

5. A. breech-loading rifle mounted 011a.

disappearing carriage and provided with a firing mechanism having afiring leaf and a safety bar for holding the firing leaf againstrelease, the safety bar being slidably mounted on the breech block, aslide mounted on the breech, the said slide and safety bar havingengaging means to connect them with each other at the time the breechblock is in closed position in the breech of the gun, a lever fulcrumedon thegun, and connected with the said breech slide, and a cam on thecarriage adapted to engage the said lever at- .the time the carriage iselevatedto firing position.

6. A breech-loading rifle 'mounted on a disappearing carriage andprovided with a.

firing mechanism having a firing leaf and a safety bar for holding thefirlng leaf against release, the safety bar being in the. form of aslide and mounted on the breech.

block, a second slide mounted on the breech, one of the slides having ahook and the other slide having a pin for engagement by the said hook toconnect the slides with each other at the time the breechblock is inbreech-loading rifle mounted on a a safety bar for holding the firingleaf against release, the safety bar being in the form of a slide andmounted on the breech 7 block, a second slide mounted on the breech,

one of the slides having a hook and the other slide having a pin forengagement by the said hook to connect the slides with each.

other at the time the breech block is in closed position in the breechofthe gun, a;

lever fulcrumed on the gun and connected with the said breech slide, acam on the 7 carriage adapted to engage the said lever at the time thecarriage is elevated to firing position, and a spring pressing the saidlever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my T name to this specification iiithe presence of two subscribing witnesses. V

FREDERICK HARTNEY.

Witnesses V JAS. V. B. Sco'rr, JOHN M. INNES.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

